It says passengers flying from Gatwick, the second busiest airport in the UK, can anticipate the most severe delays if past years are anything to go by.

In 2016, Gatwick had 36 per cent of flights delayed over the bank holiday weekend, and in 2015, 41 per cent of flights did not depart on time, according to AirHelp's database.

The news comes as Gatwick is forecasting its busiest bank holiday yet, with a predicted 631,000 passengers travelling through the airport this weekend.

Best performing airports 2016

Worst performing airports 2016

1. Newcastle

1. London Gatwick

2. Glasgow

2. London Luton

3. Bristol

3. Birmingham

4. Stanstead

4. London Heathrow

5. Manchester

5. Edinburgh

Gatwick said in response: “Past data is no indication of future performance. Gatwick has made it a priority to address punctuality and, in partnership with our airlines and ground handlers, is already seeing the benefits of a new wide range of measures to improve our punctuality."

Meanwhile, Eurostar is set for an eight per cent rise in the number of passengers travelling this weekend compared to 2016, as it forecasts 142,000 passengers travelling with the high-speed rail operator.

As for other airports, Luton was the second worst performer both in 2016 and 2015. Some 66.8 per cent of flights left on time at the airport last year.

The best performing airports last year were Newcastle and Glasgow, while Bristol was one of the top performers both in 2016 and 2015. Though that’s not much comfort for those travelling from the capital this bank holiday...

The study also revealed the best times to fly to avoid the most disruption. For the best chances of a stress-free flight, AirHelp suggest passengers book their flights for early in the morning or late at night, and 12pm-4pm being the worst time of the day for flights. ​